Darkness
by Krys33
Summary: Maureen cheated. Again. And Joanne goes to Mark for guidance. Rated for a bit of language. MarkJoanne. One shot.


A/N: My first RENT fic. :D Very exciting. This is quite a bit longer than what I usually write, so I'm very pleased with how it came out. I'd love some feedback so I know how I'm doing in this fandom.

Disclaimer: I don't own RENT.

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Mark set his camera on the coffee table and stared intently at it. It had stopped working yesterday, and he had yet to discover what was wrong.

The phone rang, but Mark ignored it as he began to study the camera's parts individually.

After the third ring, the short recording he and Roger had made echoed through the empty loft.

'_Speak!'_

"Mark? You there? It's Joanne. Mark, if you're there, please throw down the key. It's pouring out here, and I'm freezing."

Quickly, Mark grabbed the key and rushed out onto the balcony. Using his free hand, he tried unsuccessfully to shield his eyes from the downpour. Luckily for him, Joanne was wearing a bright color. Through his waterlogged vision, he spotted a red blur.

"Joanne?" he called. The figure waved to him, and he tossed the key in her direction. Judging by the sound, she caught it. Satisfied, Mark returned inside to wait for her.

When Joanne entered, Mark was trying to wipe his glasses clean with his soaked shirt.

Needless to say, it wasn't working very well.

"Here." Joanne handed him a handkerchief, dry from being kept in the confines of her purse.

"Thanks." Mark replied gratefully. He swiped the droplets from his glasses and put them back on. After blinking a few times to clear his vision, Mark offered the cloth back to Joanne, who refused.

"Keep it. And I think you'll want this, too." She told him, giving him the key. He put it safely in his pocket as Joanne set down her purse before flopping somewhat forcefully onto the couch beside him.

Mark gave a knowing smirk as Joanne let out an exasperated sigh. "What'd she do?"

"What do you think? She cheated. Again." She put a hand to her forehead. "How do I break the cycle, Mark?"

"Beats me." Joanne gave him a look that clearly meant _'You're not helping.' _Mark shrugged helplessly. "_She _dumped _me_, remember?"

She nodded. "Yeah. For me. I'm sorry about that, by the way."

Mark brushed this off with a wave of his hand. "It was for the best."

Joanne looked down at her hands. "I don't know if I can leave her." She said, more to her lap than to Mark.

"I don't blame you. She can be damn persuasive."

Joanne opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a loud clap of thunder as the lights went out. She gave an involuntary shriek of surprise, eliciting a laugh from Mark. Giving him a glare she knew he couldn't see, she said, "Shut up."

Mark rose. "I'll see if I can find some candles or a flashlight or something." His attempt to walk around the coffee table only caused him to run into it, sending his camera flying onto the floor. "_Shit!_"

It was Joanne's turn to laugh as Mark scrambled around in the dark to find his equipment.

Mark gave an imperceptible glare of his own. "You think this is funny? Get down here and help me!"

Joanne suppressed another laugh as she lowered herself onto her hands and knees. After a moment of searching, she was the first to come across the camera's remains. "Uh, Mark?" she called, feeling the shattered pieces. "I think you're going to have to buy a new camera."

"Shit!" he said again. Mark sighed. "I should probably clean it up. Where are you?"

"Over here."

He crawled in the general direction of her voice. "Am I getting closer?"

"I think so. Keep going."

Mark continued to shuffle around on all fours until suddenly-

"Ow!" Joanne felt Mark crash into her side. "Okay, you found me."

He winced. "Sorry."

"It's fine. We should start picking this up."

After they'd placed all the fragments back onto the table, Mark stood. He held out a hand in Joanne's direction. "Let me help you up."

She waved her hand around until it met his. He gave a tug to help her to her feet, but pulled to hard, sending them both tumbling to the floor. Joanne landed atop Mark's body, knocking the wind out of him.

Thankful for the darkness, as it hid her blush, Joanne hurried to help Mark sit up. "I'm so sorry."

He held up a hand. "It was my fault." Mark stood and extended his arm. "Let's try this again."

For the second time she groped blindly until her hand connected with his. This time, Mark managed to help her up while keeping them both upright.

Conveniently, just as Joanne stood, the lights flickered back on. Mark didn't release her hand, though, and after holding her gaze for a moment impulsively leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

And after feeling Joanne kiss him back, he forgot all about his camera.

Hey, it hadn't been working anyway.

--

End


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